Tuesday morning I was sitting in our beloved underclassman chairs on the second floor when I noticed my feet were freezing. It turns out that cold air from the library was escaping under the doors. Normally I would just move and get over it, but then I realized that this was the middle of October, and not a particularly hot day. There was really no need for an air conditioner, never mind multiple ones running at once.

This isn’t an uncommon sight. I can think of countless times last year when I was sitting in a class in the middle of February, only to find the heat on 20 degrees higher than necessary, causing the teacher to open the windows and turn on the air conditioner. Or as in the case I mentioned earlier, people are so used to turning on the air conditioner out of habit, that they often don’t stop to consider whether or not the building is actually at an uncomfortable temperature to begin with.

This excessive energy usage can’t be good for the earth.

I’ve heard of teachers saying that this waste of materials "isn’t really going to make a difference." Perhaps Uni High isn’t a huge source of wasted energy or pollution, at least not on a large scale. But this inessential climate control seems like something that could easily be changed, so why not stop doing it?

I’ve been told that Uni’s temperature is controlled by a computer in a different building, and the heating temperature is programmed by the season. Seeing as we live in Champaign-Urbana, known for its erratic weather patterns, this seems like a poorly thought-out plan.

According to Assistant Director Sue Kovacs and librarian Frances Harris, eventually Uni will have locked doors, requiring a new air conditioning system. Why not see if the heating controls can be changed too? Or at least remember that Parental Figure Earth (nonsexist language, hecks yeah!) hates people fighting over the air conditioner when there’s snow on the ground outside, and that falling asleep during "free time" (dull classes) is nearly impossible when cold air is being blown in your face.